Improved cheese-cutter



wen New gttuiml 5 `S. R. BAILEY, OF BATH, MAINE.

Leners Patent No. 58,357, dated Mmh 30,1869.

IMPRovED CHEESE-coman.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To `all to whom. these presents shall come:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an implement embodying my invention or improvement.

Figure Y2 is a vertical section of my invention, showing the. knife thereof in a folded or contracted state. 4

My present invention relates to means for cutting cheese, or substances of an equivalent nature, which, .although soft, owing to the tenacious and somewhat gurnniy qualities of the material of which they arev composed, require the exertion of considerable manual power to force the knife through them. i

The invention consists in the employment of a knife,

l of suitable shape and` strength, applied to a suitable standard, or support, and the latter provided with a means of enabling `the power of a persons leg and foot to be applied to it, for the purpose of depressing the knife, and forcing it expeditiously and easily through a cheese, or other substance to be divided, leaving his hand free to manipulate the article previous to and while being thus divided.

In the 'drawings before mentioned as accompanying this speciication, and which illustrate my invention, A denotes a knife, composed of along and thin steel blade, sharp upon its lower edge, and of about the shape of an ordinary saw-blade, this knife being inserted, edge downward, within a vertical incision, a, made in the upperv part of a hand-bar, or support, b, or otherwise suitably secured thereto.

This barb is a stout piece of wood, and is formed with a handle, c, at its upper extremity, which rises above the knife A, as represented.

At or near the lower extremity of the bar b, I afx a stirrup, cl, or other' equivalent means of enabling aperson to apply his foot thereto, one of his hands being employed to guide the position and movements of .the knife, by means of the handle c, as such knife is forced, by means of his foot, downward through the substance to be cut.

In iig. l of the accompanying drawings, the knife A is represented as confined immovably to the bar b by rivets. i

, In practice, however, it may be found beneficial, for

purposes of transportation or storage, when not in use, to pivot the knife to the bar, and to out along slot, or groove, e, in the bar, for its reception,as shown iu iig. 2 of the drawings, in which state the implement is very much reduced in bulk, and may be stowed into a small space. v

I would remark, that in place of applying the knife A directly to the bar b, as shown in the accompanying drawings, I have contemplated fixing it to a block, or carrier, which slides upon the bar, and in applying to such carrier the stirrup, or foot-rest before mentioned. This, however, would add to the expense of the device.

I would also remark, that in practice it will add to the satisfactory working of the implement, to aix, in front of the bench, or table Yupon which the cheese is to be cut, a rail, against which the lower part of the bar may abut, to prevent the latter'from swaying too much in either direction, thus detracting from the effective action of the knife.

Practice, however, will soon enable the operator to dispense with any extraneous guide for the'bar.

lhe use of the above-described implement will at once manifest itself to intelligent persons, as the substance to be cut is to be placed near the outer edge of the bench, the implement taken in one' hand, and its knife placed over such substance at the point where it is to .be divided, and the foot inserted in the stirrup d, by means of which the knife is driven quickly and easily through the mass.

means of the above-described implement, it possesses Athe advantage of being made at very small cost.`

I claim the combination of the bar, supplied at the top with a rigid or hinged knife, and at the bottom with a stirrup, to be worked by the foot, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

S. R. BAILEY.

Witnesses FRED. CURTIS, EDWARD GRIFFITH. 

